Read Online The Dragon' Son by Kathryn Fogleman - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kathryn Fogleman
Ads: Link
to believe the dragon had good intentions toward him. He walked carefully over to the well-cooked venison, pulled out his dagger, and began to cut some of the warm cooked meat. The dragon began to move, frightening Keegan, and he jumped away from the meal with his dagger clamped tightly in his hand. He stared up at the beast with wide eyes like a scared mouse.
“I’m sorry,” the dragon apologized, “I was just lying down. I did not mean to startle you.” He gracefully rested his large, golden mass on the gravel across from Keegan, but he never removed his piercing eyes from the boy.
Keegan was very shaken, but he slowly stepped forward and knelt down to cut more meat. He kept his head down, letting his shaggy hair hide his face, but he watched the dragon out of the corner of his eye as he sliced at the venison. When he had cut as much meat as he thought he would need for the journey back to the village, he backed off to a corner near the mouth of the cave. He began to chew on some of the hot deer meat quietly, while the dragon watched him intently.
“This will be all I need,” Keegan motioned at the small mound of venison that he had cut, hoping to divert the dragon’s gaze. It was very disconcerting for the large beast to watch him so intently and with such a piercing stare. He felt as though the dragon could see right through him.
“Are you very hungry to cut so much meat?” the dragon asked, not moving a muscle otherwise. “Or do humans have larger bellies than they appear to have?”
Keegan swallowed a piece of meat before answering, “I am very hungry, however, I need food for my journey, unless….” He stopped and looked at the dragon with large frightened eyes, “Unless you’re going to keep me here forever as a slave.”
The dragon raised his head and snorted repulsively, “Keep you as a slave? Never! I could do more for myself in a moment than you could for me in a lifetime. Also, men are to have the dominion over the animals, not the animals over the men. Next, you came in here of your own free will; you can leave here of your own free will.” With that, the dragon leaned forward, and in one snap, snatched up what was left of the buck. In almost two bites, he had it swallowed. “How you humans do come up with such distorted ideas of dragons,” the dragon said, shaking his large, magnificent head.
Keegan was so startled that he gulped down a piece of meat without properly chewing it. Had he been insulting this dragon? This was indeed a gracious dragon if it had been quietly listening to insults from its uninvited, ignorant guest.
“Please forgive me. I have insulted you,” Keegan said with a shaky voice.
The dragon sighed. “You could not know that you were insulting me. You were raised to think this way of dragons,” the beast said with understanding. “Besides, humans have reason to hate us dragons. If one dragon turns against human kind, he is a great and terrible foe.” The dragon turned his mighty head toward the cave mouth and stared through the falling water for a time as if looking into the past at some ancient memory.
Keegan resumed eating. Despite his circumstances, his mind wandered toward his mother’s warm, delicious meals. The well-seasoned meals prepared by the experienced cook would oftentimes just melt in his mouth and sometimes cause him to overfill his belly with its delicious contents. Keegan swallowed a piece of the bland venison that he was chewing and tried to push the thought of his mother’s cooking from his mind. He turned his mind to when he last saw his mother. She had held a sword and had a firm expression on her face, but he still remembered seeing the concern in her eyes and hearing her love in her voice as she had embraced him tightly.
“There was smoke to the north this morning,” the dragon remarked softly, looking at Keegan.
Keegan awoke from his thoughtful trance and found that his eyes were
“I’m sorry,” the dragon apologized, “I was just lying down. I did not mean to startle you.” He gracefully rested his large, golden mass on the gravel across from Keegan, but he never removed his piercing eyes from the boy.
Keegan was very shaken, but he slowly stepped forward and knelt down to cut more meat. He kept his head down, letting his shaggy hair hide his face, but he watched the dragon out of the corner of his eye as he sliced at the venison. When he had cut as much meat as he thought he would need for the journey back to the village, he backed off to a corner near the mouth of the cave. He began to chew on some of the hot deer meat quietly, while the dragon watched him intently.
“This will be all I need,” Keegan motioned at the small mound of venison that he had cut, hoping to divert the dragon’s gaze. It was very disconcerting for the large beast to watch him so intently and with such a piercing stare. He felt as though the dragon could see right through him.
“Are you very hungry to cut so much meat?” the dragon asked, not moving a muscle otherwise. “Or do humans have larger bellies than they appear to have?”
Keegan swallowed a piece of meat before answering, “I am very hungry, however, I need food for my journey, unless….” He stopped and looked at the dragon with large frightened eyes, “Unless you’re going to keep me here forever as a slave.”
The dragon raised his head and snorted repulsively, “Keep you as a slave? Never! I could do more for myself in a moment than you could for me in a lifetime. Also, men are to have the dominion over the animals, not the animals over the men. Next, you came in here of your own free will; you can leave here of your own free will.” With that, the dragon leaned forward, and in one snap, snatched up what was left of the buck. In almost two bites, he had it swallowed. “How you humans do come up with such distorted ideas of dragons,” the dragon said, shaking his large, magnificent head.
Keegan was so startled that he gulped down a piece of meat without properly chewing it. Had he been insulting this dragon? This was indeed a gracious dragon if it had been quietly listening to insults from its uninvited, ignorant guest.
“Please forgive me. I have insulted you,” Keegan said with a shaky voice.
The dragon sighed. “You could not know that you were insulting me. You were raised to think this way of dragons,” the beast said with understanding. “Besides, humans have reason to hate us dragons. If one dragon turns against human kind, he is a great and terrible foe.” The dragon turned his mighty head toward the cave mouth and stared through the falling water for a time as if looking into the past at some ancient memory.
Keegan resumed eating. Despite his circumstances, his mind wandered toward his mother’s warm, delicious meals. The well-seasoned meals prepared by the experienced cook would oftentimes just melt in his mouth and sometimes cause him to overfill his belly with its delicious contents. Keegan swallowed a piece of the bland venison that he was chewing and tried to push the thought of his mother’s cooking from his mind. He turned his mind to when he last saw his mother. She had held a sword and had a firm expression on her face, but he still remembered seeing the concern in her eyes and hearing her love in her voice as she had embraced him tightly.
“There was smoke to the north this morning,” the dragon remarked softly, looking at Keegan.
Keegan awoke from his thoughtful trance and found that his eyes were
Similar Books
